Erick Fedde’s career has taken another step forward. On Tuesday, the Washington Nationals promoted the right-handed pitching prospect to Triple-A Syracuse, a move that comes after his excellent run at Double-A Harrisburg.
Everybody Struggles
As the Nationals play beer league softball against one of the lightest hitting teams in the league, the annoyance with the team’s struggles is palpable on social media. Fans are frustrated with the bullpen, the lack of situational hitting, Wilmer Difo’s unbelievable brain fart, some of Dusty Baker’s choices, the bullpen, the bench, and the bullpen. This slump is coupled with the Mets getting a couple of players back healthy and winning four in a row. This is baseball. Every team goes through this. The Rangers series was brutal, but if Difo runs this is a different conversation. Continue Reading Everybody Struggles
The Bullpen Can’t Be This Bad, Can It?
It’s a narrative that Nationals fans have become all-too familiar with this season. The starters pitch a quality game, the offense scores enough to be able to win. And then in comes the bullpen, and suddenly that lead is gone. It feels like it happens instantly, and like it’s a given. One or two of these games is okay; it’s bound to happen over a 162-game schedule. But to have the constant fear of the bullpen even entering the game for fear of a lead slipping away every game is a major concern.
Nationals 2017 Draft Preview
NOTE: This post will be updated through the day as more mock drafts include the latest intel. All updates will be clearly marked as such.
The MLB Draft is today, and boy am I excited.
Off-the-Field Recap: The Nationals Do Things
There are two major takeaways from the Nationals this week: 1. They are very good at playing baseball on the western half of the United States. And 2. They are very good at keeping things interesting off the field.
Continue Reading Off-the-Field Recap: The Nationals Do Things
Whaddya Say, Michael A?
What to make of Michael A. Taylor? My esteemed colleague Joseph Seib echoed many analysts’ feelings in his piece on Taylor three weeks ago. Many have figured he would have come back to Earth by now. Buoyed by an unsustainable .400+ BABIP, a 35% K rate, and 5% walk rate most of the year, he seemed destined to revert back to his 0-fer nights with multiple strikeouts, and a Mendoza line batting average. But here he is, fresh off another solid offensive performance against the A’s, going 4-13, slugging .846 and striking out just twice. Everyone expects him to crash, but will he?
This Team Is Fun
Fist-fighting for fun in San Fran, 51 runs in 27 innings in Oakland, and a tough series win against the second best team in the National League — that was a California vacation the Griswolds would be proud of. To go 7-2 on their last road trip, considering Bryce Harper was 2 for 21 with 11 Ks (when he wasn’t suspended), Joe Ross imploded, and Dusty Baker mailed it in, speaks to how good this team is.
Trea Turner Shows Signs of a Resurgence
After a slow start to the season that included a brief stint on the disabled list, it seems that Trea Turner may be on the upswing.
Kershaw-Strasburg Lived Up to the Hype
On paper, Wednesday’s Nationals versus Dodgers tilt figured to be a game for the ages. Unlike other games that have looked impressive in theory only to fizzle out on the field, this one lived up to the hype.
A Comprehensive Look at the No-Longer-Horrible But Not-Exactly-Great Nationals Bullpen
As the Washington Nationals’ bullpen is no longer the baseball equivalent of the RMS Titanic, now seems like a fine time to look at the bullpen roles moving forward and if there are any glaring holes that Mike Rizzo needs to address. In today’s advanced statistics era, I would rather not have to discuss set roles for the reliever. With a highly traditional manager at the helm, however, it is unavoidable that that is how this pen will be designed. Starting with the highest leverage situations, let us begin.